K-pop singer Cherry comes out as transgender
'This isn't a hobby, it's my life. I'm trans,' the singer, who is also known as Chae Ryujin, said in Korean during the livestream.
Cherry, who formerly performed under the stage name Ryujei, rose to fame on the 2016 TV show Boys24, where she competed for a spot in a band of the same name. While she was eliminated from the contest, her popularity on the show ultimately landed her a spot in the K-pop group JWiiver in 2022.
After releasing one mini album titled JTrap, JWiiver disbanded in 2023 in part because the lead rapper JuKang was conscripted into the South Korean military. The band's lead music video currently has 937,000 views on YouTube, and JTrap largely received praise from fans.
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A post shared by 채류진 (@ryujins_s)
In an Instagram post, Cherry expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support she received from international fans, saying she would live her 'second life happier.' The K-pop singer, who has primarily shifted her career to vlogging on YouTube in recent months, previously shared that she was comfortable being referred to by any pronouns.
'Because I wasn't an ordinary person, I couldn't reveal everything from the start,' Cherry said. 'My goal was to take it slow. I'm just going with my goal.'
Cherry's announcement was a historic moment for the K-pop community, where there is limited LGBTQ+ visibility and oftentimes heightened stigmatisation. Following the livestream, the hashtag #ProudOfCherry began trending on South Korean social media platforms and gained global traction.
Singer Bain from the band Just B, who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community at a concert in Los Angeles in April, is one of just a few publicly out K-pop singers alongside Cherry. Although homosexuality is not criminalised in South Korea, it is largely considered taboo and gay marriage remains illegal. Trans people also face marginalisation within Korean society, although there has been an increase in gender-affirming healthcare access in recent years.
With the cultural influence that K-pop holds in South Korea, Cherry's visibility could help to create an environment where more individuals are able to express and celebrate their identities openly.
The post K-pop singer Cherry comes out as transgender appeared first on GCN.
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